Growing Calliandra (Powder Puff)
Latin Name Pronunciation: kal-lee-an' drah
Calliandra is a genus of evergreen, nitrogen-fixing, herbaceous perennials, shrubs and small trees from tropical and subtropical parts of North, Central, and South America. Flowers with clusters of long, slender stamens attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Hardy in USDA Zones 10-11.
Light: Full sun.
Watering: Water regularly to keep soil evenly moist; do not let soil either dry out completely or get waterlogged. Callianadras are from hot humid climates and may suffer in a dry or windy location.
Fertilizer: When grown in a container, fertilize with a balanced liquid fertilizer once a month during the active growing season. When planted in a garden, add a slow-release general-purpose fertilizer in spring or top-dress with fertilizer. Do not fertilize in winter.
Soil: Well-drained soil is a must whether you grow your Powder Puff Tree in a container or a garden. When grown in a garden bed, they are undemanding, although they do best in rich soils.
Pests/Diseases: Outdoors, Calliandras are relatively pest-free. Indoors, watch for the usual houseplant pests: whiteflies, scale, aphids, mealybugs.
Seasonal Care: Snip off spent blooms throughout the season. Prune to maintain form after the period of heavy bloom. In cold-winter climates, bring plants indoors before frost and place them in a bright, sunny room, avoiding cold dry air. Your plant will appreciate added humidity. With less light, plants may not continue to bloom during the winter, but evergreen foliage remains attractive. Decrease water in winter, but do not let plants completely dry out, and do not fertilize. Set back outdoors after the danger of frost has passed in spring.
Growing Powder Puff Tree Standards:
A standard is a type of topiary that is a woody plant trained to a long, single stem. The stem can be crowned with bushy foliage and flowers at a determined height or, with fine-textured plants, a neatly clipped or loose globe. This arrangement is beautiful but requires a little extra effort on the part of the gardener to maintain.
Staking a Standard: To keep your standard standing, shelter it from strong winds and support it with a stake that has a diameter at least as large as the stem's. The stake should be long enough that, when plunged into the pot or the ground, it reaches just inside the foliage. Fasten the standard’s stem to the stake at several points with garden twine looped in a figure-eight around stem and stake. Check the ties periodically during the growing season and loosen them if they constrict the stem’s growth.
Pruning and repotting: Maintain the shape of the head with selective pruning and keep deadheading to promote new growth and flowering. Do not shear the plant as though it were a hedge. If you find that a standard in a container dries out quickly after watering, the plant probably needs a larger pot. Lift it from its current pot, make four deep vertical cuts in the root ball, and place it in a new pot that is 2-4" wider and taller than the old one, filling in around the root ball with fresh potting mix. Water thoroughly after repotting and give it time to recover in a protected spot.